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Health & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes - 09.09.2025 - FINALHEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Page 1 of 5 1. ROLL CALL Present- Committee Members: Committee Chair Nancy Tashman, Amy Phillips, Pat Nolan, Courtney Walters Rawson, Kathy Ryan (virtual) Staff: Recreation Director Michael Labagh, Aquatics Superintendent Kacy Carmichael, Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller, Planner II Max Morgan, Planning Manager Jena Skinner Town Council: Councilor Kevin Hyatt Absent- Committee Members: Derek George, Sonia Martinez and Vice Chair Lisa Post Town Council: Councilor Ruth Stanley Committee Chair Nancy Tashman opened the meeting at 12:02 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Committee Chair Nancy Tashman made a request for a motion to approve the agenda. Committee Member Amy Phillips moved to approve the agenda and Committee Member Pat Nolan seconded the motion. Committee Chair Nancy Tashman declared the agenda approved. 3. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 15, 2025 MEETING MINUTES Committee Chair Nancy Tashman made a request for a motion to approve the minutes of the July 15, 2025 meeting. Amy Phillips moved to approve the meeting minutes, Courtney Walters Rawson seconded the motion and Committee Chair Nancy Tashman declared the minutes approved. 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS None 5. BUSINESS ITEMS 5.1 Village at Avon P3 Park Planning Recreation Director Michael Labagh introduced Planner II Max Morgan to present business item 5.1 Village at Avon P3 Park Planning. He stated that he would provide updates and seek input from the committee. Planner II Max Morgan explained that it is time to get excited about park planning and development. He requested the committee start thinking about a name for the new park. Town Manager Eric Heil let him know that the park is still being used for gravel and construction staging. The water tank on the property does not serve the P3 area. This is not an area zoned for housing. He shared a map of residential density which was included as an attachment. There are currently 484 existing housing units near this future park and more areas slated for additional housing. This is an opportunity to build a park for a new neighborhood in the Village at Avon. Currently the existing buildings nearby are a Maverik Gas Station and a Marriot hotel. A Montessori school nearby is potentially going to be approved as well. Planner II Max Morgan spoke to the idea of this park being used for a hunting area, which is not an ideal location. It is a 13-acre parcel, and we don’t want to overcrowd this space. He shared superimposed photos of existing amenities on top of the P3 map so Committee members can visualize what amenities can fit in the space, and what HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Page 2 of 5 may be too large. He also wants to make sure this park can serve current trends and needs of the community. He asked the Committee to consider if this park would be a community park or a regional amenity. The park should also be aligned with Town of Avon’s Climate Action goals including environmental conservation. There will be water available as the general area develops and roads are put in. Early on there may only be raw water available. A soils analysis will be needed before any building can be built. Large trees may not be possible, but shade structures could be a good option. • Committee Member Amy Phillips asked about the future dwelling units, their density and nature that are planned for future development. She asked if the units would be high density, or possibly senior living? She stated she does not see this park being a big draw because of its size. Pickleball could be great, or a bike pump track like the one in Minturn could be a benefit. o Planner II Max Morgan stated that it is the general Village at Avon and not necessarily slated for dedicated senior housing. The planned Montessori School marks the beginning of the neighborhood development. • Committee Member Amy Phillips asked if the park should be geared toward a younger audience, like families with school-aged children or focused on senior citizens. • Committee Member Pat Nolan agreed that it is logical for seniors to be looking for downsized housing. o Planner II Max Morgan said he appreciates the feedback and confirmed that serving the senior community is certainly a consideration. This site could be an opportunity to target Eagle County Healthy Aging’s goals on their “road map.” Planning Manager Jena Skinner added that a second water tank would be needed to serve new housing. The current tank is too low to service these new housing developments. The process will take years, which will likely delay the addition of housing. While it could be ideal to add a Senior Center, it will take a local business owner to bring that idea to fruition. The housing will most likely be market rate units, but that could change. The East Avon Preserve housing effort has its own challenges with a need for road access as well as provided water. Planning Manager Jena Skinner provided an overview of community housing design and control for the pending conservation easement in that area. She provided background for other housing planning going on in the Town. • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman inquired if building new housing is still a long way away, and realistically how does that affect the timeline of this park? • Committee Member Amy Phillips inquired if waiting for water would be better before building the park. • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman stated that it is not practical to put in pickleball without potable water available. o Planner II Max Morgan confirmed we are halfway to being able to develop the park. o Planning Manager Jena Skinner confirmed that yes, the Village at Avon does need a new water tank. • Committee Member Nancy Tashman inquired about the number of housing units and if Whole Foods grocery store is still in the works. o Planner II Max Morgan provided an overview that yes, there will be more people living in the Town of Avon in the future and the site will eventually have treated water provided. He reminded the committee that the park can change over time, but it’s currently a hot, dry, dusty site being used for construction staging. • Committee Member Courtney Walters Rawson inquired if the park can be planned in phases. o Planner II Max Morgan confirmed that yes, that is an astute way to envision this process. We can anticipate phased development. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Page 3 of 5 • Committee Member Amy Phillips stated that we cannot plan for large groups of people and plan to retrofit restrooms. The responsible choice would be to build an amenity with restrooms from the beginning. • Committee Member Amy Phillps would like to see Town of Avon accommodating our aging population and consider a memorial park. • Committee Member Pat Nolan brought up the Leadville Senior Center and how it has not panned out to have a shared space at the Avon Recreation Center, but they are currently using the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in Minturn, which is not ideal, but they are making it work. At the Avon Recreation Center it would be hard to move equipment in and out every day. Hopefully the program will continue to grow and she’s excited about the possibilities. • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman inquired about what minimal use of the site could be put in that doesn’t require much modification, such as a dog park? o Planner II Max Morgan confirmed that Committee Chair Nancy Tashman is on point with the direction. The patrons using the hotel, gas station or stopping off I-70 to provide their pet relief all could be good options. • Committee Member Amy Phillips mentioned the mountain bike pump track could also be a minimal use of the site. • Committee Member Courtney Walters Rawson suggested a winter sledding hill • Kacy Carmichael proposed the idea of an outdoor concrete roller rink that could be used for ice skating in the winter, roller skating, skateboarding on a flat surface, roller hockey, and more. o Recreation Director Michael Labagh mentioned that using sport court, a concrete skating rink could be activated for events • Nancy Tashman suggested disc golf o Planner II Max Morgan added his feedback that there is a steep hill around the park, so a stray disc could be difficult to retrieve • Committee Member Courtney Walters Rawson inquired if the park could be themed o Recreation Director Michael Labagh stated that this park could be a place for intergenerational interactions • Planner II Max Morgan stated his enthusiasm to read the Eagle County Aging Road Map. He thanked the committee for their feedback. 5.2 Recreation Department Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh provided an update on the Recreation Center. He shared the success of two nights of pickleball league were provided and sold out, the Adult Day Trips had a successful summer in partnership with Eagle County Healthy Aging, and the Toddler Tennis program was also a large success. Kids Night Out program was popular, so that will continue monthly through the Fall and Winter months. Saturday swim lessons have returned; Adult Swim Lessons have been successful for several months with higher attendance than usual. There will be a Fitness area closure October 8-10 while pool area remains open, then later, October 27-November 2, the Aquatics area will close for maintenance while the Fitness area is available. • Committee Member Pat Nolan inquired about a Shallow Water Aquatic Exercise class o Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller confirmed that a shallow water class is planned, and she would share that information with Pat Nolan directly. Recreation Director Michael Labagh continued the presentation, explaining that the Recreation Center is generally busy with less notable downtimes. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Page 4 of 5 • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman inquired about the details about the Adult Day Trips. o Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller spoke about the different trips and responses from participants. • Committee Member Pat Nolan shared that the seniors love talking to the van drivers, as it provides interesting social interactions. She also inquired about expanding the van services to take seniors to the Vilar Center for evening performances or the Glenwood Springs theatre. o Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller acknowledged that she has seen this trend as well and confirmed that this is on her radar. Recreation Director Michael Labagh shared the Eaglebend Pocket Park update with a photo of the progress and stated it is on track to be finished in time for an October Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. • Committee Member Amy Phillips added that at least 4 units in the adjacent Kestrel development have been purchased and she’s excited to see the new Pocket Park get used by kids. 5.3 Recreation Center Refurbishment and Expansion Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh provided an update on collaboration with A.D. Miller to review designs and laid out the timeline for the Town Council review of these designs. He stated that the Hot Tub is the priority and timing for the closure is important. Community engagement will continue, and the plan is to complete this project in phases. The top priorities include an expanded Weight Room, Hot Tub replacement, Water Slide replacement, and pool deck and mechanical room upgrades. The project will be broken up into two distinct and separate phases, Fitness area expansion and Aquatics area refurbishment. The Aquatics renovation would be completed within the existing footprint of the current building with an extended patio space on the southwest side of the building. He shared schematics of the existing pool, and shared details about the need for refurbishment for minimum improvements including roof repair, waterslide replacement, hot tub replacement, concrete deck and drain replacement, Pool HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pumps and filtration systems. The pool is functioning as it was designed in 1995, but many items are out of compliance and out of date for current industry standards. Upgrades could include expanding the lap pool from 5 to 8 lanes, changing the layout of the leisure and lazy river pools, replacing the large waterslide with a different layout that includes a shallow water run out and a flume that goes outside the building before returning to the run out. The slide could also be designed to be used by shorter riders, at 42” tall rather than our current requirement of 48” tall. More swimming lessons could be offered in the reimagined leisure pool. The expanded lap pool would still have 6-foot-wide lanes, which is not ideal for competitions but is the same as our current pool. The patio area could be replaced with a new hot tub and added seating indoors. The new hot tub area would have a small view of Beaver Creek Ski Resort. He informed the Committee that due to the extended closure, it would be advantageous to use this time to improve the Aquatics area. He then opened the discussion for questions. • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman inquired if it makes sense to complete these improvements now rather than wait until it must start over and become even more expensive. o Recreation Director Michael Labagh confirmed that yes, and it will need community engagement to move forward with upgrades as well as minimum refurbishment. Even with minimum refurbishment, the Lazy River pool would still require reconfiguration to accommodate space for a new waterslide. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Page 5 of 5 • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman expressed her support to do as much as possible now. • Committee Member Amy Phillips stated that this is a great opportunity to get a competitive pool and better than the grand idea of adding a whole addition of a competition pool to the west. Even though the price is high, it is achievable. Whatever is determined with the leisure pool, as long as the hot tub has jets again. • Committee Member Pat Nolan expressed her excitement about the design and how it adds lap lanes as well as providing new and different ideas to improve the Aquatics area. • Committee Member Amy Phillips shared her interest in the extended patio which would make the indoor pool feel like an outdoor pool. She suggested sliding gates so the new patio or lawn could be activated for use in conjunction with the events in Nottingham Park. • Councilor Kevin Hyatt shared his agreement with Committee Member Amy Phillips sentiments to have a semi-private area for outdoor lawn use outside the Rec Center. It could be a community-friendly and fun area. o Recreation Director Michael Labagh explained that there has been an increase in the current patio use for groups to eat a meal or celebrate a birthday party which is both positive and a challenge at the same time. Recreation Director Michael Labagh continued the presentation by sharing the Town Council feedback from August 26th including how to maximize the space available, how to prioritize where to start, and what community support is needed to fund these designs. • Committee Member Amy Phillips stated that more lap lanes would be highly supported by the community. She would like to see more than the bare minimum refurbishment completed. Support for the lap lanes would take this to the next level beyond minimum improvements. She reminded the group about how the swim team children came to Town Council to advocate for a competitive pool. • Recreation Director Michael Labagh shared his excitement to hear support from Committee Members. He shared that Staff are tentatively planning to present to the Town Council for a review of the Capital Improvements Plan on September 23, 2025. • Committee Member Amy Phillips compared this design to La Zona and stated this design is even better. • Committee Chair Nancy Tashman stated that this design needs to be done now, or it may never happen. o Recreation Director Michael Labagh agreed that Nancy’s statements are likely the case. • Recreation Director Michael Labagh thanked the committee for their feedback. 6. OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS No other business or committee member comments were received. 7. ADJOURNMENT Committee Chair Nancy Tashman asked if there was a motion to adjourn the meeting. Committee Member Amy Phillips moved to adjourn the meeting and Committee Member Pat Nolan seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 1:36 p.m. on September 9, 2025. Respectfully submitted by, Kacy Carmichael Aquatics Superintendent